How To Pressure Wash A Concrete Driveway 

You know you’re truly an adult when you wacth a vid about pressure washing start to finish 🤣😂

Hey Scott, we can still see the the dirty strips left in the driveway .. The best way I've found when using a circular washer like that is to overlap each stroke by 50% which eliminates that problem having to go and redoing it ... Less work and time is what it's all about in today's busy world ... Keep at it my boy and you'll go far ...

I worked for a company that pressure washed drive ways and cleansed gutters and windows all that kind of stuff. One thing I learned. When you’re doing things like this. Patience and planning.

I bought my first "broom" as a home owner over 20 years ago (for about $500) and it is still going strong. I do feel a little miffed that prices have come down so much and I'm no longer "special". Simply stated, the "broom" is well worth the money. Just hit the buy button and be amazed. Very nice video! It was short but not so short that you didn't hit all the important points. Kudos.

This was the most helpful video I've seen in a long, long time. I cleaned my patio using the 40° tip. It took almost all day. I thought there had to be a better way, so I went on RU-vid and found this video. I had no idea these cleaners existed! I purchased one using the link provided to Amazon. I needed to clean my driveway and sidewalk, but my expectations of the cleaner working were low, so it sat in the house for a couple weeks. I was motivated yesterday, so I took it out to the driveway and hooked it up. I was blown away at how well this thing worked. Finished the driveway and sidewalk in a fraction of the time it used to take me. This was $80 well spent. Also, I don't get people being critical of this video. You made it for guys like me, who didn't know there was a better way, not for guys who have already been using surface cleaners. Now that I'm using it, I can figure out for myself at what speed I need to be cleaning as well as the different tips I can use. Thanks again!

I have that attachment and love it. Another advantage is the surface cleaner doesn't blow the dirt, mold, grime all over the place. Nothing worse than admiring your work and realized you blew that crap all over a wall or garage door, deck railing etc....

Already had the pressure washer, but never thought about buying the surface cleaner! Bought through your store, thanks Scott!

Love how you showed us the bottom while cleaning the glass! My guy charges $40, so I let him do it.

Good tips... I also use an inline filter for the water to make sure nothing clogs up the pump/sprayer tip especially when using someone elses hose or water supply. I always let the water run through the hose for a moment before hooking it to the machine just to help clear out anything that might be in the hose... grass/leaves a lizard, etc...

Some other tips are to never let the engine idle for very long while there's no water flow through the pump. Doing so will overheat the pump and eventually degrade the seals. If it takes you over a minute in "standby" then just cut off the engine. Not only do you save the pump but you conserve fuel as well. I always use non-ethanol fuel in my small engines and for equipment such as a pressure washer that gets infrequent use, I will turn the fuel valve off and burn off what's left in the carburetor, all while spraying into open air until the fuel is exhausted and the motor dies out.

Very helpful - and not 45 minutes long. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you sir. I bought the surface cleaner a few weeks ago and only just now got to use it. It worked great. Not as powerful as a single nozzle, but great for maintaining the condition of my driveway so it doesn't get as bad as when I first cleaned it last spring.

Discovering the spinning surface cleaner was a true life changer. It saves so much time, that whenever I see a neighbor pressure washing the standard way, with just the tip, I will walk down and let the borrow the surface cleaner and they are dumbfounded. Most of them didn't even know they exist.

I never knew pump saver existed! I just bought my first pressure washer, this will be a must for me! Thank you!

I was taught in the navy to fully drain our fire hoses to prevent premature aging of the rubber. Over time, the water left in the hose will leach sulfur from the rubber and create sulfuric acid. Admittedly, it may be that it was salt water that caused the issue but chlorine in tap water would have the same effect, I would think. I've always followed that practice and no burst hoses yet.

Perfect timing! Cleaned my driveway back in June with the wand. In July the city came by and did a slurry coat on our subdivision streets, so now I have a lot of tar oil and granular debris out there. I am sold on the wheeled sprayer after this video.

I use the exact washer you have and it works as you have described. Huge time saver.

I just got the Greenworks Pro 3000, I've used others in the passt, this one shocked me when I pulled the trigger, and I was blowing away 1.5 inches of mud off my driveway with easy.

As always, great information! I just purchased a Westinghouse WPX3000e Electric Pressure Washer, 3000 Max PSI and 1.76 Max GPM and a 16" Janz surface cleaner to do my 80' driveway. To be honest, it was my first time doing something like this. After reading the reviews on Amazon about both pieces of equipment, I was confident that this would do a great job; not so much. It did just ok and I have a lot of streaks. I am not sure what I did wrong here, but it is pretty simple to use. Oh well. I will have to go over it again.

If you go a little slower, the cleaner will do a much better job. Also, if you will pre-treat with some bleach and water it will kill the algae and mold and make cleaning much easier. Great video!

With a good pressure washer and accessories you can make a whole business of cleaning driveways, gutters, drain pipes, car undercarriages, siding, culverts, construction equipment, rugs, warehouses, etc. Its like the bread and butter for a lot of general handy men and women.

Great video. My first PW pump burned out, because I would let off the trigger for over 5 minutes at a time taking a break, big mistake. Now I know not to leave it on without having the trigger on and water running through the pump so it doesn't burn up.

glad to see the amazon surface cleaner being used as i just purchased one for my drive way, i have an electric 2300 psi washer but Ive been eyeing the Simpson. this video made me go ahead and purchase a gas one now. appreciate the video.

One person mentioned going slower to no leave stripe’s and in addition wash up and dow and then go left to right can often help, since you did the majority of the cleaning in the first pass etc. The pum condition spray, good tip and important step.

Thank you for your time and effort to make this video and share your knowledge with us. Greetings from Croatia.

Use to power wash the drive with just the wand and tip. Got a surface cleaner, WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Done in 1/4 the time. Great results.

Used to pressure washer green algae/mold discoloration after winter shade, now more impressed with hose-sprayer house siding cleaners. An easy 10 minute job and less abrasive to concrete surface. Agree, wheeled rotary sprayers are good, but found a slower overlapping pace provides uniform results.

Wow! I have never heard of a surface cleaner attachment before! Thanks for a great video and I will definitely be looking into that product!

Too fast with the surface cleaner, that's why you have stripes. You can also change the tips on the surface cleaner. I took out the 15 degree tips and put in 40's.

It's worth mentioning that the "pump saver" also acts as an anti-freeze. If there's any danger of freeze during the winter, you need to use this stuff otherwise you ruining your pressure washer.

I never knew how those surface cleaner heads work. Very cool!

I have a wife. She knows absolutely everything. She is systematically destroying our home. The damage she can do with a pressure washer is amazing. Furry wood and more. We're getting down to aggregate soon. 😂

Nice streaks! Slow down or make a double pass to avoid those pesky buggers. You also forgot to turn the engine over a couple times (spark plug disconnected) after putting in the pump saver to truly get it on all the pump internals.

Awesome video. The beatdown of electric pressure washers is sometimes warranted (I've had a few crappy ones in my time) but not in all cases. I have a 3800 PSI electric with a 2.4 GPM which is higher than your gas-powered 3100 PSI-2.3 GPM. I just did my brick driveway and the concrete sidewalk and it did a freakishly outstanding job without any precleaning. There was no lag (ever) in the water flow or pressure. It's all in what you purchase.

I have one from Lowe’s that has the surface cleaner included. Can’t wait to start using it

Thanks Scott, very helpful and informative as usual!

Hi Scott, very well done!! Loved the 3 pointers up front. For future videos, you may want to include what you consider the top safety tips for work like this, such as foot wear/boots, safety glasses, no bare skin, etc.

Thanks for the tip I am going to have get one. Our driveway has a slight slope towards the garage with maybe a 1” lip to keep water out. I hope this will make it easier for me.

I was considering buying one of the Ryobi surface cleaners and just saw the wheeled ones in another video. I think I'll try this out for a hundred bucks. Thanks!

My electric washer came with an orbital tip. It still concentrates the stream into a single column, but this column rotates in a circle very quickly. You get a large area coverage and the concentrated blast at the same time.

Great equipment reviewing and an excellent investment for a young man starting off in a cleaning career 👍

I got one these on a good sale on Amazon. Eventually had to buy some quick connect pieces since my foreign 1700PSI electric pw could not hook the trigger/handle to it. Instead, I converted the hose connection (odd metric size) to 1/4" quick connect to swap trigger and floor. So, no trigger, but can be swapped in. Just turn on the pw and it pumps to the floor unit directly. Fine for doing large areas. It actually worked well, though slow; driveway not cleaned in 17 years. Made the driveway cleaning possible. Likely would have been faster if I had a more powerful gas pw. But, it worked, completed the job, and looked good afterwards. Took hours including front door walkway. I attribute excessive time to the PSI of the pw. But, my 20+ year old pw made it through the battle. Definitely recommend a floor unit. I tried a section with the handle, and it was not consistent and took a lot longer.

Great demonstration. I usually use the wand once a year. My neighbor use the disc but for some reason his always have the streaks as if it didn’t do the job. Maybe he is not using the proper once. I have seen some at lowes cheaper than yours but you get what you pay for. Thank you for sharing

I use Wet and Forget and haven’t pressure washed my driveway in years. Also used on deck and is equally effective. It does take a few weeks but it really works.

With the strait pipe: keep the spray in about 45 degree angle towards the surface at 2..5 cm distance. Place double steel loops attached to the tip of the pipe ( one loop on either side of the spray ) so keeping the distance in easy.

I just hit the subscribe button. This fellow is a gold mine for DIY.

Excellent video, thanks. I didn't know those type of cleaners existed, definitely buying one!

Great Video, I too purchased a surface cleaner and love it, I also use a rotating turbo nozzle instead of the 40 degree tip to clean and rinse. I find that it is more effective. Love your videos

Lovely, easy, helpful TY tips and demonstration

This is an excellent of How To Pressure Wash A Concrete Driveway RU-vid and thank you very much!

I didn't know about the pump saver product. I could certainly use that. Thanks.

Excellent advice. Thanks for posting

I've been thinking of investing in a power washer. Good advice.

Well made and concrete example. Good video!

Great video - some very useful tips. There’s always more to learn!

After you put the pump saver in, grab the starter rope and give it a slow pull to work the chemical around in the pump a bit. GREAT video !!

Go slow with the surface cleaner, and if you have striping left over, turn 90° and hit it again crossing your previous passes. In the case that you still have striping, your pressure washer is likely underpowered for a surface cleaning attachment. You may have some luck with the help of sodium hypochlorite. I use a 4400psi pressure washer with a 16" attachment and it works very well.

You definitely convinced me. Yep, you convinced me NOT to get a surface cleaner. You seem to ignore the streaks it leaves behind!

Makes me feel glad we have 240v 3 pin grounded electrics by default in the UK with newer houses even getting commercial grade 3 phase connections to help with electric car charging.

All great tips! I use a PW with a surface cleaner too! But after, I spray liquid pool shock over the cleaned concrete. This kills the mold and extends the time between cleanings.

Nice job, but I really think a SH and cleaner solution is needed to prevent the black algae from immediately coming back. That can be applied after the pressure washing to a dry surface with a chemical sprayer, but needs to be kept wet in the solution for ten minutes or so. Best to apply on a cool humid morning to avoid fast evaporation.

One more tool that’s great but takes up space and I will only need every few years. . I’ll look into renting. Thanks Scott!

I think the number one mistake is people don’t realize concrete easily absorbs water. So they spend lots of time getting the concrete wet enough to begin effective cleaning. They do this using the pressure washer which does not deliver a high volume of water which is why it takes so long. So I always begin by first wetting the concrete with water from the hose. It really improves the process. I also advise to not do this in direct sun or when concrete is hot as it will be more difficult to keep it wet. I try to do this in a light rain or just after rain.

A treatment of Wet and Forget has outperformed a 15hp 4000psi pressure washer on cleaning dirt, mildew and algae from the surfaces of my concrete driveway and sidewalks. Best thing though was it’s low cost comparison, ease of application, no need for fuel, storage space, rental fees or high water demand, hours of time spent or noise created.

Oxygenated bleach. Follow directions on jug. Works on both concrete and wood decks, etc. Available at home centers and hardware stores. It’ll save you a ton of work. It’s both inexpensive and safe for plant life. Have used it for years.

Like you video and approach. I noticed a difference when first applying a detergent like 409 before washing to loosen dirt. My walkways appear cleaner.

Thanks Scott. I enjoy your videos. Question..Have you had any problems using this surface cleaner over the concrete gap filler you used in another video?

I have been skeptical that a surface cleaner could clean as well or better than the wand but you made a believer out of me. I ordered the Twinkle off your page and happy to report there was a 30% coupon added so I only paid $75 w/tax. I enjoy all your videos, btw!

Super nice results.

My brother had one like yours when it died, he decided to do a Tim the tool man upgrade to a monster with like 4000 psi 4 gallons a minute it is so big it can barely be pushed up ramp into his pickup truck it's like 250 pounds so you can't lift it. So, he took it to his son's house to wash driveway and he lives in country on a well and the well could not supply enough water to run the pressure washer so it would only go a second or two then die so bigger is not always better

Have now used this to clean house siding and it performed well ru-vid.comUgkx43QMbQqu67IZadu9ou8Sg1BdrunMRNqX I also bought some wand extensions which enabled higher washing without needing a ladder. I recommend both. This unit arrived quickly, was easy to assemble (only had to attach the handle), and arrived in perfect condition. The only very slight downgrade from a perfect score is the design has a low handle and requires pulling from the side. My old washer was an upright model, while this one is more horizontal. Other than that, it's perfect for my needs. It has a great deal of pressure and more easily cleaned the house siding, porch rails and concrete than did my older model. The engine is a bit louder, as well, but the total time to clean was reduced by the more powerful spray. Did I mention it starts on the first or second pull every time?!! I am definitely happy with this model.

Maybe it is not an issue where you live but here in humid Florida pressure cleaning the concrete may clean the surface but it doesn't kill the mildew spores in the concrete so it comes back in a few to 6 months. I buy swimming pool chlorine, mix it 3 - 1 with water, and spray the concrete first, then a few hours later pressure clean it. Now it will stay clean looking for about a year.

I love my surface cleaner. Wish I had discovered it years ago. Found a good one for $60. SO worth the money.

Acho tão interessante este tipo de vídeo que até comprei uma lavadora de pressão e também aquela parte que encaixa pra limpa o chão

I found it's easiest to just go 2 directions at a relatively fast pace. You'll get it all that way for sure. It's also nice if you have a partner with another hose just spraying the dirty water out of the way.

Have you ever tried a turbo nozzle on your wand? I use mine 90% of the time. It does help to lube it after use.

Great vid, I just ordered the 15inch accessory!

My Simpson pressure water came with a surface scrubber attachment that worked great! Mine dose t have the wheels but worked fantastic. Was a Simpson brand surface cleaner.

i just watched this whole video and i hate pressure cleaning. great video 👍🏻🇺🇸

Thank you for the advice that really helped after I spend hours with my pressure washer. 👍🤟🥇

Excellent video, thank you very much, ace! 👍👍👍

Excellent info, thanks!

The pump saver is such a great tip.

Another great video Scott, thank you!

I use the rotary device on my concrete and paver surfaces but I don't need to use the 40 degree tip to finish off the job. I use the rotary to go forward and backward then I go left to right is a weave pattern. It cleans without missing spots and I don't need the 40 tip unless it is needed for edges.

The other advantage of starting at the high point is as the water drains down slope, it acts as a presoak, thus softening up the dirt and debris prior to the actual cleaning process.

I have a 1,700 psi, 1.4 gpm electric pressure washer and a 12” surface cleaner to do my (much smaller) driveway. The low volume really seems to be the biggest limitation on the effectiveness of the cleaner. I can’t complain though because I got the pressure washer for free. A neighbor was getting rid of it because the “turbo nozzle” quit working. All it needed was a quick cleaning and fresh dab of silicone grease, and it started working again.

Lowes sells a surface washer like this for $150 dollars and its SWEET ! Buy a Turbo Tip - it works 10 times better then the standard tips that most pressure washers come with ! you should have cleaned the side walk and the curb

Excellent Presentation !

Thanks for the vid! Once you pressure wash with the surface cleaner attachment, can you just use a garden hose to clean it up afterwards? Isn't all the hard-to-remove stains, loosened up sufficiently?

This is great. Do you have a separate video for wood decks?

I bring my equipment inside for the winter. But still will look for the pump save for the seals and all.

Top Tip: I have that exact same surface attachment. I go over my surfaces in both directions so there’s no need to touch it up with the wand. I do have a 4000 psi Honda which is a beast of a PW.

I use a 3100 PSI 2.5 gph pressure washer and have not yet found a surface cleaner that will provide a nice consistant cleaning. They all suck. Suspect a larger PSI and water Volume would help alot.

great video on pump saver

Two things: any pre-treat chemicals (say, bleach-based to kill algae) to use, and if so, does the grass or surrounding bushes suffer? And do you ever seal the concrete afterwards, so you don’t have to do the cleaning so often? Thank you.

I'm a master auto mechanic with 25+ years experience. I work out of my personal garage because I only do auto work part-time now since I work full-time as a mechanical engineer. My point is oil stains. Take a small spray bottle with gasoline spray the oil spot then apply floor dry. Let it sit a few hours not only will the stain be completely gone but the floor dry will be completely clean as well!! Of course you do not want any open flames near when doing this LOL

Very much worth mentioning to ALWAYS turn the gasoline valve off and let the engine run out of gas before putting the PW away for more than a few hours. Gas sitting in the carburetor is the main cause of hard starting next time around.

To get rid of the stripes get you some 10% liquid pool shock from Walmart or Ace hardware and a 2 gallon pump sprayer and post treat the drive way. It will get rid of the stripes.

thanks for video. surface cleaner worked great.